


Blood, Sand, and Thunder

by Alfer



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F, Mad Max AU, Non-Graphic Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-02
Updated: 2017-03-02
Packaged: 2018-09-27 22:34:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10054562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alfer/pseuds/Alfer
Summary: Sand whipped around her. The roar of the motorcycle filled her ears, making it impossible to focus on anything else. The old, almost derelict pistol was in her hand in barely a second. It was empty almost as fast. The screams were soon left behind, and all Carmilla had to worry about was the sand constantly scraping her skin and trying to get into her eyes. At least she didn’t need to breathe.Carmilla and Laura lead raiding parties against two of Lilita's bases. Something goes wrong with Laura's attack. Oneshot set in a possible Mad Max au.





	

Sand whipped around her. The roar of the motorcycle filled her ears, making it impossible to focus on anything else. The old, almost derelict pistol was in her hand in barely a second. It was empty almost as fast. The screams soon were left behind, and all Carmilla had to worry about was the sand constantly scraping her skin and trying to get into her eyes. At least she didn’t need to breathe.

Easier to keep control, if she couldn’t smell the blood flowing freely from those wretched bastards.

Maybe Mother was getting tired of playing games. This base was barely garrisoned, only a few blood-addicted humans, a couple of fledglings, and few weapons to protect it all. Not many supplies in it either, but more than in the last couple of raids around the western borders. It was tempting to think Maman might be considering moving somewhere else, but Carmilla knew better. She must discuss this with Mattie as soon as possible, her older sister could have more insight on what kind of trap Mother was planning.

First, however, Carmilla’s little band turned south. Another one of their raiding parties was attacking a Summer outpost. Mel and the other ‘true’ summers, those who had defected after Vordenburg had taken control, informed them on what to expect here. Where the defenses were weakest, how much opposition there was. Enough food to last a year. Livestock, if they had the time to carry them off and if they could be quiet enough. And, most importantly, gasoline for half a year. Or as much as they could carry.

Almost too good to be true. Carmilla wasn’t so sure about the accuracy of those claims. Maybe they were true when Mel was there, but Carmilla wondered if she and the others were allowed to escape purposefully, to set up a trap. 

Whatever was the case, the plan was for one raiding party to head in the direction of the other, and if they weren’t done with the raid already, to help them out.

Carmilla was on edge. There was no reason to be, the attack had gone about as good as it could have. Even if the baron’s forces had made a trap, the other group was prepared for the possibility, they knew what to do. _ She _ knew what to do.

Gunshots in the distance, the sound of unfamiliar motors accompanying it. Every other vampire in the convoy perked up. So, a trap after all. Carmilla growled. The red raze she had escaped from before came back in full force. With no command necessary, the entire raiding party went at full speed towards the Summer compound. Passing a low hill, the flashing gunfire became visible, illuminating the night at quick intervals.

And ahead of it, their own forces. Some of their vehicles had been too damaged, arranged to form a square around the survivors. They shot ferociously at the summers, but it was clear they could not hold on forever.

Carmilla signaled at her forces. They divided into groups of four and five, veering towards the low hills that the second raiding party was nestled between. Exactly when the enemy was almost on them, Carmilla’s group flew over, raining makeshift grenades and bulletfire over Lilita’s minions.

The landing impact was strong, but Carmilla’s motorcycle held. It would need repairs later, she noted distantly. The biggest part of her mind was concentrated on the deep breath she took.  _ Smoke. Gunpowder. Gasoline. Sweat. Blood. So much blood.  Her blood. _

But not enough to be fatal.  _ No, it wasn’t, couldn’t be _ .

Screaming over the gunfire, Carmilla ordered half of her forces to keep the summers at bay, and the other to take up whatever survivors they could find. 

As she turned around to do the same, a hulking figure slipped through their fire, aiming at her. Before Carmilla could even move, a shot was fired, whizzing by her ear and striking the enemy down. A shouted ‘Hey!’ reached her ears, and Carmilla finally could breathe again.

There was maybe half of their original force left. More than Carmilla could have hoped for. At the middle of their firing line, shouting orders like she was born for it, was one Laura Hollis. There was no time for talking, Carmilla could fall to her knees in relief when they were not being shot at. She screamed over the gunfire.

“Laura,  _ up!” _ Slowing down just enough, Carmilla extended her hand. Laura smiled tiredly at her, catching her hand and jumping on the back of her bike as well as she could. That was when Carmilla noticed the blood was coming from a wound in her leg. Laura’s arms squeezed Carmilla’s middle, her head rested against her back for a second before she spoke.

“Ambush, it was an ambush. There’s Zetas here too, Vordenburg must have mixed the forces. They came from nowhere. Jake gave the alarm,” Laura’s voice was almost lost to the wind, but Carmilla heard the break in it loud and clear. “We lost so many,” it was barely a whisper. Carmilla felt Laura’s head pressing against her back again.

“We can lose them in the mountain passes, they’re using the Zeta spikes,” Carmilla nodded and, with one last look around to check all the survivors were being similarly carried, gave the order to retreat.

The spiked monstrosities the zetas drove could easily impale any of them, but could never hope to catch up to the nitro bikes JP had designed, especially not once they reached the mountains. It didn’t take long for the thunder of their motors to fade away, replaced by the rushing wind and terrible silence of this new world. 

It would be another three hours before reaching their main base. Laura hadn’t talked anymore, and others of her group were wounded too. Heading for a small valley hidden slightly off-course of their objective, Carmila slowed down. The others followed. “We’ll make camp here for an hour, do the best repairs you can in that time. Fledgelings stay by your elder’s side.” older vampires could control themselves around fresh wounds well enough. The younger ones she wasn’t so sure about.

Finally stopping, Carmilla turned off her motorcycle, planting her feet back on the ground for the first time since going out for this mission. Laura’s arms let go of her. With difficulty, she got off the bike first. 

Carmilla quickly dismounted, getting the small, barely adequate emergency kit they all carried from her duffle bag. Laura had found a rock to sit on, but she wasn’t paying attention to the blood slowly dripping from the bullet wound in her leg. Her eyes were jumping from one person to another. Headcount. Carmilla approached slowly and sat by her side.

“Can I take a look at that, Cupcake?” she tried to keep her voice as even as possible. Laura didn’t seem to hear her. Carmilla sighed, frowning with worry. Carefully, she took Laura’s hand. Laura didn’t pull away. Instead, she squeezed back. With what looked like great effort, she tore her eyes away from one of the younger raiders gritting their teeth while another clumsily set their apparently broken arm to look back at Carmilla. 

The exhaustion in Laura’s face was clear, but what worried Carmilla more was the pain in those eyes. Leaning forward, Carmilla bumped her forehead against Laura’s gently. “You couldn’t have know, Laura. Mattie and I, and JP and LaF and all the others, we tried to think up as many ways Maman could have set up a trap as possible. Vordenburg hasn’t acted by himself in decades, you couldn’t have know.”

Laura exhaled a trembling sigh, her eyes closing. “I know Carm, I know,” she sounded so tired. Knowing didn’t make living in this forsaken world any easier. It didn’t before the apocalypse, it sure didn’t after it either. Carmilla was very aware of that. 

“Can I clean this?” Carmilla gently touched Laura’s wounded leg. Laura nodded against her, before pulling away and letting Carmilla take care of the wound. 

The shot had gone clean through, no bullet fragments in it. Good. But it had also been left exposed to all this damned sand until now. Carmilla only had water to clean it with, and after letting Laura drink up as much she needed, did so. A crude antiseptic Mattie had taught LaF how to make out of the very few plants that grew in this desert came next. Finally the bandages, as clean as there was hope for them to be.

When Carmilla was done, their hour was almost up. Ten minutes until they had to keep going. Their combined forces were finishing up, chatting in low voices among themselves. Carmilla took her seat again next to Laura.

Her golden eyes were fixed on the sky. That was one of the first things they had bounded over. Laura had made up a thousand stories for the stars, the moon and the few satellites still in orbit. Carmilla had a thousand more but those had been dreamt up by many people before their time. She preferred Laura’s versions, but Laura had been fascinated by those old tales.

Carmilla raised her head, searching for Orion’s belt in the clear night sky. After a moment, she felt Laura get closer to her, resting her head against Carmilla’s shoulder and wrapping an arm around her middle. Carmilla smiled, letting her arm snake around Laura’s shoulders. It was a small comfort, but these short minutes stargazing with Laura settled Carmilla’s soul for a time. She hoped it did the same for Laura.

The world ended and Maman was still a tyrant. The world ended and humanity forgot almost everything it had learned. The world ended, and Carmilla found the love she had always searched for. The world ended, and Carmilla would make it burn all over again before letting it take Laura away from her.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Melime and canyousmellchips for reading over this for me! 
> 
> This idea wouldn't leave me alone, so I wrote it down to see were it would go. I have some ideas for how this universe could go, but writing action scenes is really hard, even one as small as the one here was.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading!


End file.
